A Life Less Ordinary

An ambitious yet not-altogether-successful piece of work, A Life Less Ordinary follows Ewan McGregor’s disgruntled Robert Lewis as he kidnaps his former boss’ daughter (Cameron Diaz’s Celine) and eventually, with Celine’s encouragement, decides to request a ransom for her safe return – with the narrative also detailing the exploits of two angels (Holly Hunter’s O’Reilly and Delroy Lindo’s Jackson) tasked with ensuring that the two central characters fall in love. It’s a quirky premise that’s employed to seriously erratic effect by filmmaker Danny Boyle, as the director, working from John Hodge’s screenplay, delivers a watchable endeavor that’s rarely able to elevate itself to the admittedly superb level of its stars – with McGregor and Diaz’s personable work here undoubtedly matched by a strong periphery cast that includes Stanley Tucci, Tony Shalhoub, and Maury Chaykin. The pervasively oddball atmosphere tends to prevent one from wholeheartedly embracing the hit-and-miss narrative, to be sure, although it’s worth noting that Boyle has admittedly managed to pack the proceedings with a handful of thoroughly captivating sequences (which ensures, at the very least, that the picture remains relatively entertaining from start to finish). The final result is a decent-enough production that generally does feel as though it could (and should) be more gripping and involving, and yet it’s impossible not to laud Boyle for trying something new (and very different) within the confines of a familiar kidnapper/kidnappee storyline.

**1/2 out of ****